1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wheels for vehicles and, more specifically, to a composite wheel assembly for wheels of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide wheel ornamentation such as wheel caps and wheel covers for wheels of a vehicle such as an automotive vehicle to enhance appearance of the wheels.
Wheel ornamentation is used because it is less expensive to manufacture, finish, and mount the wheel ornamentation to the wheel than to manufacture the wheel with the same quality finish of the wheel ornamentation. A chrome surface on the wheel ornamentation is an inexpensive alternative to a chrome plated or polished wheel. In addition, wheel ornamentation provides various types of appearances and styling variations, all of which may be combined with a single wheel design.
It is also known to manufacture a composite wheel assembly having a wheel ornamentation attached to the wheel with either an adhesive and/or mechanical lock. An example of such a composite wheel assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,370 to Beam. In this patent, the composite wheel assembly includes an annular rim having two rim flanges and a spider fixed within the rim and attached to a rotating hub. The spider includes a plurality of radial spokes. Lug stud holes are formed in the spider and are circumferentially spaced about a central axis of the assembly. A stamped sheet metal appliquxc3xa9 conforming to the outer surface curvature of the rim and spider is attached. The appliquxc3xa9 is chrome-plated to simulate a conventional prior art electroplate chrome wheel assembly. The appliquxc3xa9 includes vent openings positioned between the spokes of the spider, and apertures aligned over each of the lug stud holes of the spider for passage of lug studs. A separately detachable center cap attaches to the spider and/or hub.
It is desirable to provide a composite wheel assembly having a plastic wheel ornamentation retained to a wheel of a vehicle. It is also desirable to provide a composite wheel assembly having a plastic wheel ornamentation attached to the wheel with an adhesive. It is further desirable to provide a composite wheel assembly having a plastic wheel ornamentation that incorporates an o-ring, gasket, or other non-curing material seal to seal the plastic wheel ornamentation to the wheel and prevent contaminants from entering the assembly between the plastic wheel ornamentation and wheel. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a composite wheel assembly that meets these desires.
Accordingly, the present invention is a composite wheel assembly. The composite wheel assembly includes a wheel having an outboard surface and a wheel ornamentation disposed over the outboard surface. The wheel ornamentation has a plurality of vent openings and a plurality of lug stud holes. The composite wheel assembly also includes an adhesive disposed between the wheel ornamentation and the wheel around each of the vent openings. The composite wheel assembly further includes at least one seal comprising an o-ring disposed between the wheel ornamentation and the wheel about at least one of the lug stud holes to prevent contaminants from entering the assembly between the wheel ornamentation and the wheel.
One advantage of the present invention is that a new composite wheel assembly is provided for a wheel of a vehicle. Another advantage of the present invention is that the composite wheel assembly has a plastic wheel ornamentation attached to the wheel with an adhesive. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the composite wheel assembly has a plastic wheel ornamentation and incorporates an o-ring to seal the plastic wheel ornamentation to the wheel and prevent contaminants from entering the assembly between the plastic wheel ornamentation and wheel.